Benefits of Certification:

- Personal Achievement
- Better Employment Opportunities
- Demonstrates a high standard of professional competence
- Demonstrates a high level of professional commitment
- Provides a suitable role model for others
- Completion of a Professional Portfolio that follows current standards of PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) and demonstrates an individual’s formal and experiential learning. This type of documentation is used as a standard tool in some places of employment and educational institutions to assess salary scale or educational credits towards a diploma/degree.

Applicants must:

Hold a recognized ECE diploma/degree (from (OCAAT program or AECEO Accredited ECE Program), or AECEO Equivalency Certificate
Be a current Professional Member with the AECEO, and Be engaged in practice (as Practitioner, Administrator or Faculty/Trainer)* in the field of Early Childhood Education in Ontario

Definition of Practice:

Practitioner: an individual responsible for the development and implementation of activities in a variety of early learning and child care settings for children from infancy to school age. ECEs are responsible for planning and organizing activities that protect and promote children’s intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth.

Administrator: an individual who is involved in supervising practitioners (as above) or in a supervisory role involved in indirect work associated with young children and families

Faculty: an individual who delivers AECEO recognized programs to ECE students through Colleges and or Universities. This category may also apply to “Trainers” who are involved in training and educating student practitioners, practitioners or administrators (as above) in their professional role.